- 04 Jun, 2025
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Math Magic: Engaging Games That Make Learning Math Fun For Preschool kids
If your kid has started preschool, they have started learning basic concepts of language, shapes, and numbers. This is a crucial age for kids when their brains are developing, and what they learn will help build a strong academic and personality foundation for them. Preschoolers should be taught all concepts using fun activities and games so that they pay more attention and learn while having fun.
Math is one of the most important subjects, and simple math principles can be introduced to children even before they enter school. It actually plays a crucial role in the early development of kids. Through preschool math activities, you can teach children basic life skills like memory retention and fine motor skills.
A study on math in early years showed that almost 60% of 3-year-old kids had no experience with math, despite math being a key element of learning for young kids. This needs to change, and preschoolers should be taught mathematical concepts that will help build their reasoning and analytical skills.
Why Is Math In Preschool So Important?
Math may seem like a difficult concept and subject for preschoolers. However, studies have shown that children are capable of understanding numerical quantity differences from a very young age.
Learning math helps children enhance their language skills and even improve their reading abilities. Math also helps children develop cognitive and problem-solving skills and helps them make better decisions in life. Children who learn mathematical concepts early on tend to achieve their goals and are academically successful.
Overall, think of math as one of the building blocks of your kid’s development, and every kid should be taught math using creative math activities.
Importance Of Fun And Play In Early Learning
Play-based learning is a crucial part of early childhood Math education. The importance of play in preschool can be easily seen in how quickly children respond to fun activities while learning rather than traditional textbooks. When teachers and parents use fun math activities and play for preschoolers, it engages multiple senses of children and helps them understand math concepts better.
Play also makes learning extremely fun for kids, which indirectly encourages them to perform better and retain information for longer. Fun math activities for kids also make them more curious and encourage them to explore more. Preschoolers also develop better social skills and communication when working together for various math activities for kids and solving problems together.
Along with all this, play, and activities help build confidence in kids, and they feel a sense of accomplishment when they solve math problems.
10 Fun And Creative Preschool Math Activities That Every Kid Will Love
Here are some fun and easy math activities for preschoolers you should try. These will make learning fun and effective for your kid, and you will be able to grab their attention for a long time!
1. Read Nursery Rhymes and Stories That Have Math Concepts
Books and rhymes are essential for young children. An essential tool for early childhood educators is a bag of books. Make sure that your collection has books that teach children mathematical concepts. Such books enhance the basic math abilities of preschoolers and also develop their emotional literacy. You should collect books that teach kids basic math concepts such as numbers, shapes, counting, size, etc.
2. Make Fun Shapes and Numbers Using Craft
A creative math activity for kids uses arts and crafts to make shapes and numbers from various things. Such activities make children more creative and improve their imagination. You can create cut-outs of numbers from colorful craft papers and put them on the board. Another fun math activity can be to craft numbers using kidney beans. Then, let the children trace the shape of all the numbers with their fingers. This way, they learn numbers and also trace and write numbers.
3. Use Pipe Cleaners or Sticks to Make Shapes
This math activity for kids is a great way to get them better at recognizing shapes. Ask your kid to make various shapes with pipe cleaners or craft sticks. You can tell them to color four sticks blue and make a square or color three sticks red and make a triangle, etc.
4. Play Counting Puzzle Games
Young kids can have a lot of fun with this number activity for preschoolers. They can practice their counting and number recognition skills by solving number puzzles. You need to make two sets of cards for this. On one set, write numbers from 1 to 10. On the other set, draw corresponding dots or shapes. Kids have to match the right digit with the correct number of dots or shapes.
5. Play a Fun Mathematical Fishing Game
For this fun math activity for kids, you will first have to cut some craft paper into fish shapes and add a paperclip. Then, write numbers on the fish cut-outs with a pen. Attach a piece of string with a magnet on the end to your stick, this will become the fishing rod. The class is now ready to go on a fishing adventure!
6. Let Kids Enjoy an Exiting Shape Hunt
This is a fun twist on the regular treasure hunt game. You can draw different shapes on craft papers and lay them on the floor. Suppose you draw a circle, a square, and a triangle. Then, ask the kids to hunt things in the room that are of different shapes and put each item next to the craft paper of that shape. So, if a kid finds a square book, they should put it near the craft paper with a square drawn.
7. Make Grocery Trips Fun with preschool kids
Grocery shopping can also become a fun math activity for kids. Ask your kids to guess how many things they think would fit in the grocery bag or count the number of items you purchased. This will keep them involved and excited about the shopping. You can also ask them about the different shapes and sizes of various items. Another thing you can do is choose two items and ask them to guess which is heavier.
8. Exciting Sensory Bin Game
This game is exciting and fun for kids. You can make a large sensory bin for them using various things like rice, dals, sand, popcorn kernels, dry pasta, pulses, etc. Then, add numbered cards into the sensory bin and ask kids to dig around and find the numbered cards. They have to find all the cards and arrange them from 0 to 9. This math activity for preschoolers combines basic preschool math concepts with sensory elements.
9. Go on a “Math Walk” With Your Preschooler
Turn your evening walk or playtime in the garden into a math activity without your kid even realizing it! While walking, you can ask your kid to collect leaves of different shapes and sizes, count the number of cycles passing by, or guess the following house number on the street. All these small things add up and improve your child’s cognitive skills.
10. Play Uno Cards With Your Class
One of the most important math goals for preschoolers is to recognize numbers. Playing Uno game cards is a great way to help kids with this concept. Flip the cards so that kids are unable to see the numbers. Sit in a circle and take turns to pick two cards. If the cards match, you keep the set and take another turn. Whoever has the maximum sets at the end wins the game.
Conclusion
There are many advantages in teaching math to preschool kids. Young kids are naturally curious, and this is the right age for them to start learning mathematical concepts. For kids, practicing basic math exercises has many benefits, including increased self-assurance, enhanced problem-solving skills, and better academic performance. So, you should include numerous fun and creative math activities for preschoolers in your daily agenda to help shape their curious minds better.
Author bio
Chitra Khanna is the Content Strategist at KLAY Preschools & Daycare, where she leads content creation focused on early childhood education and parenting. With a background in digital marketing and a passion for empowering families, Chitra develops resources that engage and inform parents, helping them navigate the critical stages of their children’s development. Her creative approach and deep understanding of educational trends ensure that her content is both relevant and impactful. Outside of work, Chitra enjoys exploring new learning methodologies and contributing to discussions on child welfare and growth.